Cherry Heering

Having already covered Kirsch and Maraschino, two cherry based spirits, tonight I turn my attention to Cherry Heering, a Danish liqueur that is brandy based and flavoured, as you might have guessed, by cherries. It has been in production since 1818 and is generally considered one of the very best cherry brandies. It has a strong cherry taste, but is much less sweet and artificial in taste compared to previous cherry brandies I have tried from the likes of Bols or DeKuyper. It’s most famously used in the Singapore Sling, but the following recipe caught my eye over at CocktailDB…

Stir well with ice and strain in to a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

The More Over has a complex taste, starting with the juniper and floral flavours coming from the gin and vermouth, with a sweet cherry taste following. There is also a spicy hint running throughout the drink from the bitters, which lingers nicely on the tongue afterwards. I also tried this with Angostura bitters, but found it slightly overwhelmed the drink, where the Fee bitters were a little more subtle which worked well in this case.

I couldn’t find anything written about this cocktail in my very limited library of cocktail books, and a quick Google search turned up nothing, so if anyone knows anything about this cocktail please do let me know. Anyway, the More Over makes for a great drink during the colder months (and the current summer weather here in Britain) and is definitely a cocktail I will be returning to.

Shake well with ice and fine strain in to a cocktail glass. Garnish with a fresh cherry (which I skipped as I’m out of cherries).

The Rendezvous was featured in the last Mixology Monday by Rick, who had discovered it thanks to Craig. It caught my eye as it makes use of Campari, a bitter Italian aperitif which is something of an acquired taste. I brought a bottle of it last year, but have barely touched it, as I’ve yet to find a cocktail I like with it, and it’s far too bitter on its own. I therefore approached the Rendezvous with some trepidation, and very gingerly took my first sip.

The initial taste is quite sweet, but the aftertaste quickly reveals the bitterness of the Campari. At first it was a bit much and I half considered dumping the drink in the sink, but Craig noted it may take a sip or two for the cocktail to start working, so I stuck at it. While I can’t say I enjoyed it as much as Craig and Rick seemed to, it did definitely improve the more I drank, so I think perhaps it’s my experience with Campari, rather than the recipe, that is at fault here.

By the end of the drink I was undecided – it wasn’t a terrible drink, but I didn’t really enjoy that bitter aftertaste. That said it did grow on me, so I think perhaps with more exposure to Campari it may turn out to be a cocktail I enjoy…

3 responses to “Cherry Heering”

It’s interesting that you found the Angostura bitters overpowering in the More Over. I almost always find the Fee Brothers ones overpower anything other than Bourbon, so I invariably use Angostura in my gin drinks. I may have to give this one a go! (Although I don’t have any Cherry Heering, just Cherry Marnier.)

As for Campari, it’s definitely an acquired taste, but it’s a taste well worth acquiring. If you haven’t already, try it as a highball with soda and/or orange juice, or in an Americano (1 part Campari, 1 part sweet vermouth, top with soda). My personal favourite, though, is the Negroni: equal parts Campari, gin and sweet vermouth.

I find the Angostura bitters to have a more intense spice to them, for want of a better word, which makes them stand out more in a drink.

As for Campari, the Negroni was the first drink I tried with it in, and like the Rendezvous I found the bitterness a bit much. I will try to return to both drinks though – Campari hasn’t beaten me yet!

Jay, I’m glad you gave it a shot. Like you, I’m not someone who’s entirely accustomed to the taste of Campari. Aside from this recipe and the Negroni, I havent had much exposure to it, but I’m planning on finding more drinks that call for it.